Communication Matters

The Community Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (CCDHH) at Cleveland Hearing & Speech Center (CHSC) has launched a new initiative beginning in February 2018. CCDHH will offer their first accredited American Sign Language interpreter workshop with a focus on medical interpreting. If well received and attended by the interpreting community, it is our hope that this will become an ongoing project with interpreter trainings provided more regularly. By creating these workshops, CCDHH hopes to increase professional development opportunities for interpreters in the greater Cleveland area. Currently, interpreters in our area in pursuit of continuing education credits are limited to on-line courses or they must travel a distance (even out of state) to obtain the credits to maintain their licensure and/or increase their knowledge.

A group of women sit together at the Cleveland Hearing & Speech Center in Cleveland while their loved ones complete their weekly stroke support group session.

Many of our social interactions revolve around going out to eat; sharing a meal and time with friends and family. But, enjoying a quiet restaurant dining experience may seem nearly impossible. Trying to hold a conversation, hear others talking at your table or, hear and understand the wait-staff and hostess in noisy restaurants can prove challenging - even for normal hearing individuals.  If you are hearing impaired it becomes exponentially worse.

Communicating can be frustrating for both parents, and toddlers!  Toddlers often know what they want, but are not yet able to express their wants accurately to caregivers.  Communication breakdowns happen when toddlers point or whine, sending an unclear message to the adult they’re communicating with.

Ok. I have to be real about this.

Back in the day, before I became an audiologist, I did some really unkind, unhealthy things to my hearing.  Pretty please, promise you won’t tell my 14 year old.  You know, as the saying goes  “do as I say not as I did."

A speech sound (or articulation) disorder is when your child has difficulty making speech sounds. For example, if a child says “dup” when he is trying to say “cup”, this is a problem with speech sounds. Many children with speech disorders are also hard for others to understand.  Children begin building speech skills from birth, then develop sounds over time, and eventually, use all speech sounds correctly. Using the earlier example, it would be fine if a twelve-month-old child said “dup” for “cup”, but that would not be expected from a four-year-old child.  A child has a speech disorder when she is unable to make sounds that would be expected for her age. Both children and adults can have a speech disorder. It can occur as a result of a medical problem or have no known cause.

As audiologists at Cleveland Hearing & Speech Center, we are best known for rehabilitating hearing loss.  However, we don’t stop at evaluating your hearing.  We care about communication.  When you come to one of our audiologists for a diagnostic hearing evaluation, we discuss with you your lifestyle and your communication needs.  We talk to you about how your specific hearing loss impacts your ability to communicate in a wide range of listening environments.  Just as important— we work with family, friends, and other communication partners to help them better understand how to communicate with a loved one who has hearing loss.  During May - Better Hearing and Speech Month - we want to discuss how Clear Speech can lead to better hearing.  The following strategies can help you improve your communication with family and friends who have a hearing loss.

Only through communication can human life hold meaning.
– Paulo Freire

Welcome to the blog for Cleveland Hearing & Speech Center (CHSC). As the premier provider of hearing, speech-language and deaf programs, services and advocacy, CHSC will keep you updated as to the latest information, tips, resources, research and more related to all things communication-based. If you are wondering how important the gift of communication can be - consider these

I remember the days my children were born clearly….well, kind of. Some moments are crystal clear and will be etched in my memory til the end of time - “Your baby boy has red hair!” “It’s a girl!” In contrast; many of the details were a complete blur - countless nurses, doctors, aides, monitors and medications. There were informational videos to watch, and tearful meetings with lactation consultants. The constant hum of activity allowed for very little sleep.